(902) 499-0089 admin@breathemindfulness.com

Lavina Friesen, (she/her), M.A.

A Compassionate, Trauma-Informed Counsellor Supporting Adults and Older Teens in Nova Scotia

Lavina’s sessions are offered exclusively online via our secure telehealth platform to residents living anywhere in Nova Scotia

 

Lavina is a Registered Counselling Therapist – Candidate (RCT-C) with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists. She provides individual counselling to adults and older teens aged 16+, offering a compassionate and welcoming space where clients can share their experiences, explore challenges, and work toward meaningful change.

Lavina is particularly dedicated to supporting people who have experienced trauma, including complex, attachment, developmental, and intergenerational trauma. She also works with clients navigating anxiety and overwhelm, grief and loss, low mood, emotional dysregulation, relationship concerns, stress, burnout, self-esteem concerns, spirituality and faith-related concerns, and life transitions.

Her approach is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and respect for each client’s individual experiences. Working from trauma-informed and attachment-based perspectives, Lavina helps clients deepen their self-understanding, develop emotional regulation skills, and identify practical tools that support healing and personal growth. She integrates evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion-Focused Therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS).

Before becoming a counsellor, Lavina lived and worked internationally and taught students from many different cultures and backgrounds. These experiences helped cultivate her appreciation for the diverse identities, values, experiences, and perspectives each person brings to counselling.

Lavina is also a member of the Professional Association of Christian Counsellors and Psychotherapists. She welcomes clients of all cultural, spiritual, and religious backgrounds, including those who do not identify with a particular faith. When a client wishes to explore spirituality, faith, or the relationship between their beliefs and emotional well-being, Lavina can respectfully incorporate these areas into counselling. This is always guided by the client’s own values, beliefs, and preferences.

Therapeutic Focus

Anxiety, phobias and panic
Attachment concerns
Assertiveness and social skills
Burnout
Depression and low mood
Emotional dysregulation
Grief, loss and bereavement
Personal growth and wellness
Self-esteem
Stress and overwhelm
Trauma and traumatic stress
Complex trauma and C-PTSD
Attachment and intergenerational trauma

Types of Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Attachment-Based Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Emotion-Focused Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Person-Centred Therapy
Trauma-Informed Therapy

Providing Support to

Older teens aged 16+
Adults aged 19+

Existing clients can book an online therapy session with Lavina HERE.

New clients can book by contacting us HERE, calling 902-499-0089 or emailing admin@breathemindfulness.com.